The Temple of Armac
by DammitimmaD
Summary: When six year old Alex disappears on an expedition in Egypt, Rick and Evy are stricken with grief. So when they are kidnapped over twenty years after Alex's disappearance with their sixteen year old daughter Hannah, their lives are turned upside down!
1. Chapter 1

**AN: So this is my first Mummy fanfic, and I recently watched TMR a few days ago and got bitten by the plot bunny and 'The Temple of Armac' was born :)**

**This story is set after TM but before TMR, when Alex is six years old, I feel really bad for changing the set plot of the next movies, but I figured that Rick and Evy would be too old for them to really be fighting mummy's after a while.\**

**SUMMARY: When Alex is killed**

**Please read and review, they make me feel all fuzzy inside :)**

**I'll post the next chapter when I get 2 reviews :) I have most of it written out so I promise updates won't be weeks in between :)**

**Now I know that "**_**Xx roses are dead xX**_**"**** wrote something like it called "**_**Here we go again**_**", but they haven't updated their story since 2006. I recommend it by the way.**

**So please no flames about that :) Because I wrote this story and then read the other fanfics, now that I've actually got an account I can post it :)**

**R&R

* * *

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Evy watched her son fondly as he sat quietly on the floor making a small sandcastle in the Egyptian desert, he was dressed in his normal dark grey trousers, white t-shirt, yellow and brown striped tie, his brown jacket and matching hat that he wore whenever they went out on a dig. Alex smiled up at his mother through innocent hazel eyes.

"Mommy it's the temple!" He grinned, pointing to his small mound of sand that looked vaguely like the Temple of Armac.

Evy smiled softly at him and nodded. "It's brilliant, darling" She told him, as her husband, Rick squatted beside their six year old son.

"Daddy, I can make a pyramid too!" Alex said. "You can see it when you come back!"

"I'm sure it will be great squirt!" Rick ruffled Alex's blond head affectionately as he stood up.

"Now remember Alex-" Evy began.

"I know Mommy" Alex rolled his eyes, even at this young age he had almost perfected the art and grinned. "Stay out of the temple, if you don't come back in five hours I have to take one of the camel's back to the village and find Ardeth, don't talk to strangers, and if somebody I don't know comes along I have to hide outside of the temple" Alex recited the words carefully as he smiled at his mother. "I'll be fine Mom" He exchanged a quick look with his father. "Unless I can go with you-"

"Not on your life little man" Rick stated, smiling at the blond haired, hazel eyed boy in the sand.

"Drink plenty of fluids, don't stand in the sun for too long, remember you have food in your bag-" Evy began again but Alex cut her off again.

"I'll be FINE Mommy" He said, pushing her playfully towards the large temple that was mostly hidden under the sand.

"We'll be back soon!" Rick called to his son as he and his wife descended slowly into the temple, leaving their son behind them.

Rick moved gingerly through the narrow corridor, he held a large torch in front of himself and his wife, guiding the way into a large chamber with Egyptian symbols covering the walls.

Evy's eyes widened with curiosity as she took her own torch and moved towards one of the walls, gently running her fingers along the inscriptions, murmuring the words under her breath.

Rick looked away from his wife and around for anything he would find interesting, like a mummy. But to his disappointment there it was nothing but an empty tomb, the cobwebs showing there had been something there not long ago, but it was obviously gone now.

* * *

Alex glanced into the temple where his mother and father had disappeared into and bit his lip. He wanted to have a look around sooo baaad.

"Just a quick look" He muttered to himself as he climbed to his feet and went over to the entrance of the temple, it was two large stone slabs that had opened on their own accord a few days ago and the temple had been untouched since being sealed in Ancient Egyptian times.

Curiously Alex stepped down the stairs and into the first main chamber, it was quiet large, but underground so from above the temple seemed small and insignificant compared to the others that were scattered throughout the Valley of the Kings.

"_Alexander_" A voice whispered in his ear, Alex turned to find that there was nothing there, he frowned. Something about the room made him feel uneasy and scared.

"_Alexander_" He shuddered and looked around again.

"Who's there?" He stammered fearfully. "Daddy?" He asked, hoping it was merely his father trying to scare him.

"_Come to me Alexander_" The voice whispered.

Alex shook his head and tried to step back, aiming to escape the strange voice and find his parents, but he never did.

It was as though someone had taken control of his body, because his legs began moving on their own, taking a shaky step towards the large wall as it began to slide away, revealing a large coffin that was standing behind it.

Alex's screams were muffled by whatever had taken hold of his body and he tried to struggle against it, his heart was thumping wildly in his chest as adrenaline surged through his veins.

The coffin in front of him opened slowly to reveal a very real and very alive mummy, its decayed hand reaching out and grabbing his arm.

"_Come to me Alexander_" It hissed.

Suddenly a large jewelled knife appeared in the Mummy's hand and at the same time the restraints on Alex's voice were released.

He screamed as loud as he could as the wall closed again, locking him in with the mummy but still not allowing him to move his limbs or body.

* * *

Rick looked over at Evy, who was struggling to read the Egyptian writing on the walls.

"What does it say Evy?" Rick asked, moving towards his wife.

Evy shook her head. "Something about a Dagger" She said, slightly annoyed. "These markings are incomplete, I can't read them-" She was cut off by a blood curdling scream from above them.

"DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD"

Evy's eyes widened as she turned to her husband. "Alex" She murmured as the two parents sprinted through the corridors and back up the steps of the temple.

"ALEX!" Evy cried as she looked desperately around, there was a small sandcastle lying a few feet from her but her son was nowhere to be found.

"ALEX!" Rick called; there was no answer for a few seconds before another scream erupted through the air.

Evy's heart clenched in her chest; that was her baby screaming.

"MOOOOOOOOOOOOM!" Alex's voice echoed from inside the temple.

Evy spun around quickly, about to dive back down the steps when she realised that the doors were closed.

Rick brought his gun out from his hip holster and began shooting at the door, desperately trying to reach his son. But the doors were sealed again, and there was nothing they could do to open them.

"DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD!" Alex's screams were growing weaker, being replaced by a choked sob.

"ALEX!" Evy screamed in dismay. "ALEX! HOLD ON!" Tears filled her eyes as she thumped her fist on the door to the temple, knowing it was useless.

Another scream hovered in the air, the cry of a child in pure agony and pain.

"Momma! Please make it stop!" Alex's small voice pleaded.

"ALEX!" Rick called.

"Daddy help me!" Alex begged.

Alex's screams were cut off abruptly by the sound of a knife swishing through the air before everything was silent.

"Alex, can you hear me?" Evy sobbed. "Alex talk to me please!"

"AAAALLLLEEEEXXXX!"

When there was no reply Evy let out an agonised sob, throwing herself into Rick's strong arms, the two parents sunk to the ground, crying for the child they had just lost.

* * *

It was only a few minutes later when Ardeth Bay arrived that the parents moved from their spot at the gateway and were brought back to the local village. The Mejai leader had heard Alex's screams and come as fast as he could, but even he wasn't fast enough to save the six year old from his horrible fate.

Evy buried her head in her husband's neck, her tear streaked cheeks were smudged with dirt and sand but she didn't bother to wipe it off.

Ardeth let the parents grieve for their only child, as he sent word ahead of the terrible news to Britain, and that the O'Connell's were not only coming home early, but there were once again only two.

Jonathan met them both at the airport his usually sparkling eyes were grim and full of grief for his nephew.

After taking one look at Evy's still tear-streaked he pulled her into a comforting hug.

"I can't believe he's gone" She whispered miserably.

Jonathan didn't know what to say; instead he kissed the top of her head and allowed her to bury her face in his shirt.

* * *

Alex's funeral was large, although they had no body of the child, and both of his parents had virtually no other family when people heard that famous author Evy O'Connell had just lost her son, they flocked to support the mother who was a role model for most women.

There were a few neighbours and friends that crowded into the small church to farewell the boy they had seen running around in the O'Connell's yard only a few weeks before.

Evy felt numb as the priest spoke about her son, how he was quiet and curious, his knack for literature and history, and the huge amount of time he spent, locked away in the library and museum, researching foreign cultures.

_My little boy is gone._

That was the only thing that Evy was thinking about as the service ended, she allowed Rick to hold her as they drove quickly back to their manor, where it was years before either parent could bring themselves to enter Alex's bedroom.

* * *

**Please Review not that you've read it :) Remember! 2 reviews and you get the next chapter**


	2. Chapter 2

**WHOO 2 REVIEWS! :)**

**FireFriday: Thank you soo much :)**

**SiriusBlackFan2: Its not really blackmail, I just wanted to know if people were reading the story, I have literally hundreds of other stories for fanfiction on my laptop but I don't put all of them up here on this site. :)  
**

**So here is the next chapter! I hope you like it, I've skipped ahead to when their daughter is 10 years old at the moment, but we'll soon get to the action in this chappie!**

* * *

(Fifteen years later)

"Mum! Dad! I'm going out!" Hannah called as she stepped out of the door, closing it before she had a reply.

Evy sighed as she watched her ten-year old daughter jog down the pathway and towards the neighbour's garden to play with the boy over there; her dark brown hair was bouncing in perfect curls around her shoulders, bright blue eyes glistening in the sunlight.

Evy took a deep breath, everything Hannah did was opposite to Alex, and she didn't know how to handle it. Alex had been a quiet and subdued child, always hiding away in his books, much like herself.

But Hannah was different, where Alex had been quiet and calm, Hannah was loud and boisterous. Where Alex had been shy and intelligent, Hannah was outgoing and enjoyed sports. Whilst Alex had short blond hair and soft, caring hazel eyes, Hannah had dark brown, almost black curls that travelled to the middle of her back and sharp blue eyes that sparkled slightly when given a challenge.

Evy didn't know how to handle a loud, boisterous, outgoing, competitive and sports-loving girl who believed that she was invincible and could survive anything.

Hannah was too much like Rick, and even he didn't know how to handle his daughter.

It was hours before Hannah trudged back inside and slumped towards her room, she had been kicking a ball around with the boy next door, Matthew.

Hannah glanced at her mother from the corner of her eyes, as usual she look tired and depressed, which didn't bother Hannah too much as it was an everyday occurrence for both of her parents.

Hannah paused as she was about to enter her bedroom and looked across the hall, there was one room in the house that she was forbidden from entering. Which intrigued her further, but every time she had tried to get in, the door had either been locked or her parents had yelled at her for disobeying them. Her mother and father were both push-over's when it came to something she wanted, but this room was the one thing they had been strict with.

Hannah sighed to herself, Matthew had gotten into trouble with his parents for getting mud on his good clothes and had to go back inside, and although she had plenty of friends from school that would be delighted to play with her, her curiosity for this room had been increased after Matthew had said something.

Apparently the boy had over-heard his parents discussing their neighbour's son, a boy called Alex, who she had also heard her mother mention once when they had yelled at her.

Her mother had slipped up once when she was young and didn't think twice about it, saying: "_Hannah! Why can't you be more like Alex-?_" She had cut herself off and retreated to her room, never mentioning it again.

Hannah quickly slipped downstairs, where she knew both of her parents were sitting separately, doing their own activities and leaving her to do as she wished.

Silently she slunk up the stairs again and took a hairpin from her dark curly hair, easily picking the lock to the forbidden room.

She closed the door silently behind her as she stepped into the room. It was almost impossible to see in the dim light, so Hannah gingerly felt along the wall beside the door, quickly finding the light switch.

As the lights flickered on Hannah glanced around her, it was a child's room! The walls were covered in a golden wall paper; a small bed was shoved into the corner of the room with the sheets still messed up, as though someone had slept there without making it. There were building blocks scattered in the opposite corner of the room in front of a book case, the golden blocks were formed into a perfect pyramid beside an open book, showing the structure in an old black and white photo.

The name '_Alexander_' was formed in black lettering above the bed, with a thick layer of dust covering everything and cobwebs everywhere.

Hannah frowned lightly and looked towards a large book case that stood against a wall that was filled with history books and encyclopaedias.

There was a box on the floor that seemed to have been dumped there in a hurry, she opened it slowly and the first thing she saw was a black and white photo of a young boy, only five years of age, hugging Rick's leg and smiling shyly at the man who Hannah recognised as her father's friend, Ardeth. They were standing in front of some Egyptian pyramids that Hannah didn't care about.

Gently Hannah moved the picture aside to see a school photo of the boy in the last picture. He was smiling shyly at the camera; light freckles dotted his nose as he looked through laughing hazel eyes at the photographer. His round, childish cheeks had large dimples that were a rosy red colour, making the child look absolutely adorable.

The photo below it made Hannah frown, gently she picked it up and looked over it. Her parents were standing in front of the pyramids; Rick's arms were around her mother's shoulders lovingly as they looked fondly at the small blond child that was sitting on Evy's hip. He had his small arms wrapped around her neck as Hannah's parents smiled lovingly down at the boy; Rick's posture was protective and seemed to challenge anyone who came near the other two. Evy was holding the boy tightly to her chest and was smiling at the adorable child who was planting a kiss on her cheek.

"Hannah!" Her mother's voice echoed from outside in the hallway. "Hannah!"

Hannah glared down at the picture, who was this boy, Alexander? Why didn't she know about him and why hadn't she met him before? Were her parents keeping something from her?

* * *

Evy looked around and her eyes glanced momentarily towards Alex's bedroom, the room that had been untouched since he had died, neither parents had entered the room apart from placing a box of photo's of their dead son on the floor before retreating and locking the door for the next fifteen years.

The door was ajar slightly and Evy's breath caught in her throat, Hannah was in Alex's room!

"HANNAH!" Evy screamed, storming into the room where Hannah held a picture of her, Rick and Alex, staring accusingly at her.

"Who is this?" She demanded. "Why haven't I heard of him before?"

Tears weld in Evy's eyes as she stared into her daughter's accusing eyes. Guilt washed over the woman as she thought about her son's death as she turned to her daughter.

"GET OUT!" Evy screamed, pointing to the door. "NEVER COME IN HERE AGAIN!" Tears streamed down her face. "NEVER MENTION HIM EVER AGAIN!"

Hannah didn't know how to react to her mother's outburst, so she did the smart thing and ran.

* * *

(_Six more years later_)

Evy sighed as she ran her fingers gently over the old photo of Alex. It had been twenty one years to this day that he had been gone, and the mother had gone into Alex's room once every year after that confrontation with her daughter.

Evy sighed, each year she would dust off the cobwebs that gathered in the room and make sure everything looked the same. It was as though some part of her refused to believe that her first child was gone, that someday he would come back to her.

Although her brain told her this was impossible and that even if he came back, he would be twenty seven years old, her heart told her otherwise, and only on this day would she dismiss her logical side and sit in her son's room, reminiscing in her memories.

Unknown to her, outside in a large oak tree, sat her daughter, watching her carefully as she walked aimlessly through Alex's room, running her fingers over his possessions and her eyes far away.

Hannah sighed to herself, usually if something was bothering her or if she thought her parents were keeping secrets from her, she would not hesitate to confront them. But this...this was different. Something in her mother's eyes told her to leave it alone, that it was not her place to ask her parents about it.

But that didn't stop her from asking other people.

When she had asked Matthew's parents about it, they had sighed, their eyes growing sad for a moment, but they were as tight-lipped as her parents on the subject of the mysterious blond haired, hazel eyed boy.

'Alexander' was apparently his name, but she couldn't figure out who he was, or where he'd gone. The logical side of her told her to look at all of the facts, and had come to the conclusion that he must be some distant relative or something, that maybe he had been killed in the war, the clothes he wore were from around that time period, just before the second world war had begun.

_Maybe he was Ardeth's son?_ Hannah had only met the man a few times, and he seemed friendly enough, apart from the strange tattoos on his face. But Alex looked nothing like him. _He could have been adopted?_ But something told her that this wasn't the case. Hannah didn't like Ardeth that much, ever since she was a child they had come to the agreement that when he was around they would stay out of each other's way.

A small part of her asked. '_Maybe he's your brother?_' But Hannah told that voice to shut up, if she had a brother, even if he was dead, her parents would have told her. Wouldn't they? Evy and Rick never kept things from her, ever. Why would this be any different?

Hannah was left to her thoughts and didn't notice the cars that drove up her driveway until they had parked directly beneath her.

She frowned and carefully climbed down from the tree, wondering who the visitors were and why they were here.

She didn't have long to think before something hard and wooden was brought down sharply against her head and she passed out.

* * *

Inside of Alex's room Evy frowned as well, she heard her husband Rick, open the door before a dull thud was heard and then nothing.

Evy silently slipped out of Alex's room, and moved towards the stairs, wondering why she couldn't hear her husband.

She didn't even have time to fight before a sharp pain exploded in her skull and she gasped, her legs buckling from beneath her. Before she blacked out she saw the unmistakable face of an Egyptian man as he caught her.

"Good night Mrs O'Connell" He hissed as her mind drifted away.

* * *

**Muahahahahaha :) little cliffie for you there!**

******K come on guys. 2 more reviews and you get another chapter! **


	3. Chapter 3

****

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* * *

Evelyn groaned as she woke up slowly, her head was pounding painfully and as she opened her eyes she realised that she was tied up by thick pieces of rope that were wound around her hands and that her husband and daughter were in the same predicament, still lying unconscious beside her.

Evy looked around her, they were on a train, that much she could tell, and as she glanced out of a small window she saw sand dunes around her. At that time they were passing three huge pyramids that she recognised.

Her stomach dropped. They were in Egypt

"Rick" Evy whispered fiercely. "Rick wake up" She hadn't been anywhere near Egypt since she had lost her child and she hadn't planned on coming back, but that couldn't be helped now. She knew that her brother, Jonathan, had gone to live in Egypt. She didn't know why, but for four years he had been there. But she didn't want anything to do with the country that had taken something she had loved so much away from her. So they hadn't spoken.

Her husband stirred slightly and opened his eyes groggily. "Evy?" He murmured, frowning as he looked around.

Evelyn nodded at their daughter who was still unconscious. "We need to get out of here" She whispered urgently. "If we can get Hannah to wake up, we can cause a distraction and she can go and find Ardeth"

Rick quickly understood the situation and nodded, knowing it was the only idea they had as he looked out of the window.

Carefully he nudged his sixteen year old daughter. "Hannah" He hissed. "Wake up"

Soon enough the girl stirred, moaning as her head began to pound. She looked up and around, her eyes wide and scared. "Mum? Dad?" She asked, unsure of what was happening.

"Hannah calm down" Evy said soothingly. "We're going to get out of here, but we need you to focus"

"What's going on?" Hannah demanded.

"We've been kidnapped, honey" Evy explained gently. "Your father and I will create a distraction, but we need you to run and find Ardeth"

Hannah's eyes widened. "What about you?" She asked. "How do you know where we are?"

"Let's just say we've done this before" Rick cut in strongly, his grief for his lost son was being overshadowed by his will to get his living child to safety.

Before Hannah could reply, a door was opened and in strode an Egyptian man, he looked in his mid twenties with a shaved head and black eyes. He smiled maliciously at the O'Connell family as he stepped towards them.

"It is good to see you are awake" He said. "I have been waiting over twenty years to meet you"

Rick scowled at him. "Who are you and why are we here?" He growled.

The man smiled again. "I was told of your...interesting behaviour in these situations Richard O'Connell, but I don't think you'll want to speak to me in that tone. But none the less, I will answer your questions. I am known by many names, but one you will find familiar is Armac"

Evy and Rick gasped, their eyes wide, they knew who Armac was, it was his tomb they had been exploring all of those years ago.

"You are here" Armac continued. "Because I need a sacrifice to buy by eternal life, I have been building my strength for years, and only now, when some tomb raiders disturbed my temple. They were quickly disposed off as to not disturb anything else"

Hannah gaped at the man, suddenly understanding what he was talking about. The man was un-dead, like in those books that school had made her read for English class.

Armac turned to smile at the girl, who moved back slightly.

"What a pretty little girl, it seems as though your parents haven't told you of their adventures all of those years ago" He said, glancing at Evy and Rick, who didn't know how to react. "It seems as though their effort of protect you from their past has in the end been pointless" His smile turned nasty. "Although you did live past the age of six, unlike-"

"SHUT UP!" Evy screamed, she didn't want her daughter to find about her brother, especially this way. Evy lunged at the un-dead man and knocked him to the ground, instantly guards surrounded him but Rick was up and attacking them before anything could be done.

Hannah watched in shock as her parents fought skilfully with the foreign men, and brought herself out of her thoughts as the slowed down, Rick had hit the emergency stop button.

Without a second thought Hannah wrenched the window open and dived out of it, hitting the ground hard, but scrambling to her feet and sprinting towards the large town that was sitting below the pyramids.

Behind her people began shooting bullets at her but she put on another burst of speed and ran into the town.

It was useless to go after her by then, she was swallowed up by the crowds and most of the guards were needed to keep Evelyn and Rick in the train.

* * *

Hannah had no idea where to look for Ardeth, so she settled for wandering around the town, looking for anyone that might be able to take her to the man.

She walked for hours, unsure of where he might be before she came to a tourist hotel. Hoping there would be someone who spoke English in the hotel, she walked in. Also taking into account the fact that the sun was going down and it would be dark in an hour.

"Excuse me" She said to the receptionist, who had a welcoming smile on her pretty features.

"Welcome to the Hilton, how may I help you?" She chimed in a strong accent.

"I need to speak to the police" Hannah said.

The girl's expression didn't change. "Are you booking a room?" She asked.

Hannah frowned. "What? No, I need to speak to the police..."

"Have you lost your room key?" The woman chimed.

Hannah scowled. "No, I need the police"

"Are you looking for your parents?"

Hannah sighed. "I. Need. The. Police" She told the woman slowly.

"I do not understand" The women frowned slightly. "Would you like to speak to our manager?" She asked.

Hannah nodded quickly, realizing the woman didn't speak English. "Yes, I would like to speak to the manager"

The woman smiled again, picking up the phone on her desk and speaking quickly in a foreign language that Hannah didn't care to understand, Arabic, she remembered vaguely was the language they spoke in Egypt.

"I am sorry. He is busy. Would you like to come back in two hours?" She asked.

Hannah gave an exasperated sigh before the door to the hotel opened and a man walked over to the receptionist.

"Monique!" The man said, he had a strong British accent as he leant on the desk.

Monique, the receptionist gave him a smile, speaking quickly in Arabic. The man nodded, easily replying.

Monique laughed at what he said before turning back to her computer.

"Monique here doesn't speak English" The man explained, turning to look at her, he froze. "Hannah?"

"Uncle Jonathan?" Hannah recoiled, she hadn't seen the man in four years, he had moved away and hadn't spoken to her mother since.

"What are you doing here?" Jonathan asked suspiciously. "Where are your parents?" He placed a hand on her shoulder and carefully led her towards the elevator.

"Mum and Dad have been kidnapped" Hannah explained. "We were on a train and I managed to escape, they told me to go and find Ardeth. But I don't know where he is, so I came in here hoping someone would speak English so that I could tell them"

Jonathan bit his lip and nodded, ushering her into a room. "That's bad" He muttered to himself. "The guy that kidnapped you do you know what his name was?"

Hannah nodded. "He said his name was Armac"

Jonathan paled slightly. "A-Armac?" He stammered. "Are you sure?"

Hannah nodded suspiciously. "Why? Who is he? Mum and Dad seemed to know him as well"

Jonathan ran a hand through his hair and walked over towards a phone that was sitting on the wall.

"Who are you calling?" Hannah asked, looking around at the fancy room. "And how did you get such a nice room?"

"Hmm?" Jonathan asked, realising she was talking. "Oh, the room! The manager is an old friend of mine, I needed a place to stay, and he owed me a few favours, so he gave me this for a quarter of the price, which I pay back by working in the bar downstairs"

Jonathan quickly punched in a number and waited as it started ringing.

"Who are you calling?" Hannah asked again.

"Ardeth" Jonathan replied.

Hannah nodded and went to investigate the room that her uncle lived in.

* * *

Ardeth Bay was a strong man. Physically and emotionally he could face almost anything. But the death of Alex O'Connell had changed him.

Although he had not been there when the terrible events occurred, he had been riding out in the desert when even he had heard the child screaming for his parents.

Instantly he had sped his horse towards the source of the voice, unable to block out the sound of the child screaming in agony.

By the time he got there he was too late, the O'Connell's had lost their only child and there was nothing he could do.

Ardeth had liked the boy, Alex. He was a calm and quiet child that didn't irritate his parents as long as you gave him a book to read, he would be content for hours.

Alex was an adorable child, with small dimples on his cheeks and large eyes, although at first the boy was shy around Ardeth, he had grown comfortable with the man's presence, he had even started calling him 'Uncle Ardeth'

When he had died, Ardeth couldn't help but feel slightly responsible. He had visited Richard and Evelyn a few times over in England, where he discovered they had conceived another child, a girl this time.

Ardeth hadn't like Hannah from the start.

She always seemed to be crying, always wanting her parent's attention and was never entertained for long. Although she was a cute little girl, she didn't have the pure innocence that Alex had possessed.

She was a bossy child and liked to be in control. To her everything was a game that she had to win, everything was a competition and she hated to lose.

No matter how much Ardeth wished Hannah was easier for her parents to handle, he was glad that she was nothing like Alex. If Hannah had been as calm and as intelligent as her brother, Ardeth knew her parents wouldn't have been able to survive. At least when she was so different to her brother, there was nothing to remind her parents of the boy they had lost.

But now, twenty one years after the worst day in the O'Connell's life, Ardeth had retired as leader of the Mejai and was now living with his wife Sonia in a small Egyptian town where he would stay unless the Mejai needed him.

At least that was the plan until he got a phone call.

His wife looked over at him, holding the phone in one hand. "It is for you" She said.

Ardeth nodded and took it from her hand.

"Yes?" He asked, although he did not like the phone, he had realised how useful it was for spreading news far away much faster than his bird.

"Ardeth?" Came the familiar voice of Evelyn O'Connell's incompetent sibling, Jonathan. "Its Jonathan, you know, Evy's big brother?"

"Yes, I remember you" Ardeth smirk slightly at his memory of the man, he hadn't spoken to him since he had informed the other man of Alex's death.

"Something happened to Evy and Rick" Jonathan said quickly. "They were kidnapped and brought here to Egypt. Their daughter managed to escape and I found her in a hotel, trying to talk to the Arabic receptionist. I've got her with me in my room, but I'm not sure what's happened to Evy and Rick. Hannah said that the man that took them was Egyptian, he said his name was Armac" Jonathan rambled quickly.

Ardeth froze. "Armac?" He asked. "Are you sure?"

"That's what Hannah said, and she said her parents obviously knew him" Jonathan explained.

"Does she know about Alex?" Ardeth asked.

"No, her parents never told her" Jonathan replied.

Ardeth sighed. "Where are you?"

"In the Hilton Hotel in Cairo" Jonathan said quickly. "Are you coming?"

"Of course" Ardeth retorted. "You are obviously not going to find Rick and Evelyn on your own are you?"

"Of course not" Jonathan said. "When will you be here?"

"Expect me there tomorrow morning" Ardeth replied quickly. "I will see you then. Be ready to leave for Armac's Temple"

"Ok, see you then!" Jonathan obviously sounded relieved that he was coming.

* * *

Hannah looked expectantly at her uncle. "What haven't my parents told me?" She asked, she had been standing just out of sight, but listening to Jonathan's conversation.

Jonathan paled slightly. "Uh, nothing. I-I have no idea what you are talking about" He said unconvincingly.

Hannah gave her uncle an exasperated look. "I know that something is going on uncle" She gave him a stern look. "Who's Alexander?"

Jonathan's eyes widened. "Where did you hear that name?" He asked in a low voice.

Hannah narrowed her eyes. "Who is he? And why haven't Mum and Dad ever told me about him?"

Jonathan frowned at her. "I can't tell you that" He said. "You'll have to ask your parents about it"

Hannah crossed her arms over her chest. "Jonathan, I think I deserve to know who the hell this kid is. Is he a nephew, cousin, uncle? In the photo's he only looks five years old"

"Six" Jonathan muttered.

"What was that?" Hannah frowned, annoyed at being kept in the dark.

"He was six" Jonathan said in a stronger voice.

"Who was six?" Hannah asked, confused.

"Alex was six" Jonathan said in a quiet voice, his eyes were far away, lost in his memories.

"Who is Alex?" Hannah growled angrily. "Why haven't I met him before? Are Mum and Dad hiding something from me?"

Jonathan looked over at her sharply. "You haven't met him because he's dead" He stated coldly. "He has been since before you were born"

Hannah looked surprised but didn't back down. "Who is he Jonathan? Why does everyone but me seem to know who he is?"

"I think I've said enough" Jonathan mumbled, moving towards the bedroom.

Hannah grabbed his arms before he made it there. "Tell me!" She hissed. "Who is this kid? My Mum and Dad seem to care more about his memory than they do about me! Yet they won't tell me anything!"

Jonathan spun around angrily. "You have NO right to accuse your parents of that!" He growled. "I'm going to bed and you better to, because Ardeth will be here tomorrow morning and will want to head off to the Temple as soon as he gets here" With that he grabbed a blanket and pillow from the hallway cupboard, shoving them into Hanna's arms before he stormed into his own room, slamming the door behind him

Hannah scowled at her uncle as she spun on her heel, stamping over to the couch and collapsing tiredly onto it, unsure of how else to react. She had never been denied anything in her life and had no idea how to handle it.

**

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**

**Two more guys! Come on! I know you can do it!**

**Just 2 more reviews and you get the next chapter!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Right, so because I'm kinda getting flamed on the review thing. You guys don't need to review anymore.**

**I'll update every week or two.**

* * *

There was a knock at the door at ten o'clock the next morning. Both of the occupants in the room were sitting at the kitchen table eating breakfast when the bell rang, Jonathan quickly jumped towards the door and flung it open.

"Ardeth" Jonathan breathed. "Thank God you're here"

The warrior nodded. "Are you ready to go soon? We must go to the Temple of Armac, we need to know how he was brought back to life and what he wants. There is little known about him as no one has set foot inside of the Temple after Evelyn and Richard" He said in a no-nonsense manner.

Jonathan nodded, looking over at the couch. "Hannah!" He barked, the girl woke with a start. "We're leaving" He told her quickly.

Hannah scowled but didn't reply as she stood up, following Jonathan and Ardeth out of the door.

* * *

"I have gathered the supplies and camels needed for the trip, we need to leave immediately" Ardeth explained as he led them out of the hotel and over to where four camels were standing, waiting for their master to return.

"We're going to ride camels?" Hannah asked, obviously disgusted as she wrinkled her nose at the smell of them.

Ardeth smiled at her. "Of course" He said.

"It is a day's walk to get to the Temple of Armac, and from there we must find out what Armac wants, and how he can be destroyed" Ardeth said simply. "We cannot go after Evelyn and Richard straight away as it would alert Armac to our plans and he may try to stop us"

Hannah opened her mouth the protest but Jonathan cut her off.

"Shall we leave?" He asked, to stop Hannah from annoying Ardeth any more than necessary.

Hannah sulked as she looked at the camels, crossing her arms over her chest and pouting.

Ardeth quickly checked everything over again, and made sure everything was still there before climbing onto the camel in one swift movement.

"Come on Hannah" Jonathan said, looking at the smelly animal.

Hannah narrowed her eyes. "I am NOT getting on that thing"

Jonathan sighed. "You're as stubborn as your mother" He muttered under his breath as he climbed onto his own camel, rather clumsily.

"It isn't hard" Jonathan said. "See! Even your old Uncle Jonathan can do it!"

Hannah refused to budge.

"I knew it!" Jonathan said smugly.

"Knew what?" Hannah couldn't resist asking.

"That you were scared of camels" Jonathan replied, his face still holding the smug grin.

Hannah growled at her uncle. "I am NOT scared of camels"

Jonathan shrugged, looking at Ardeth. "Sorry about this" He said. "But my niece has a large phobia of camels. That's why she can't do this"

"I could if I wanted too!" Hannah exclaimed.

Jonathan shrugged again. "Sure you could, dear" He said in a soothing voice.

This enraged Hannah further, until she stormed over to the creature and lifted herself onto it.

"See. I am NOT scared!" Hannah smirked at her uncle, who backed off.

"You sure showed me" Jonathan said.

Ardeth smirked in amusement before looking over towards the desert. "We must head out now" He said.

So they set off into the desert, walking for hours on the camels under the hot Egyptian sun.

* * *

As they trekked through the harsh Egyptian desert Hannah pouted the whole day, after a few hours on the camel did she realize that her uncle had tricked her into getting on the smelly creature and now she was angry and very irritable.

She was not only annoyed at Jonathan, for tricking her and keeping secrets, she was also annoyed at Ardeth, for not going instantly to find her mum and dad, also because whenever she asked them to stop when she was tired, he would always continue on. It was the same for food, if she got hungry and asked Ardeth for some of the food he had in his bag, he would always shake his head and say that they needed to save it.

This annoyed her even more. Did that mean they would be in this stupid desert for a long time? Hannah already couldn't wait to get out of it and go swimming in the local pool, or play football in the rain with Matthew.

Ahead of her Ardeth and Jonathan were discussing whether or not they should wait the night before entering the temple when they reached it, but they were talking in Arabic, which Hannah was surprised to learn, Jonathan spoke fluently.

Hannah scowled to herself, what was so important about this temple anyway?

The more she thought about everything that had happened, the more she realized that her parents weren't the people she had thought.

Both of them seemed to know exactly what was going on and who the man was. They also hadn't reacted to the man saying he had come back to life and buying his eternal life with a sacrifice.

Hannah began to realize that her life was based on a large web of lies that kept her happy and content, her parents shielded her from crime, poverty, war and especially death. They had encouraged being active over staying inside and reading books, which for some strange reason made them sad, and they kept her in London, trying to discourage foreign cultures.

It was starting to make sense in Hannah's mind, if Alexander was dead, and he was a boy who loved books, reading and foreign places, maybe they didn't want her to be anything like this dead child?

"We are here" Ardeth's voice brought Hannah abruptly out of her thoughts as he slid off of his camel. "We will camp here for tonight" He said, pulling out a roll of material. "So that we can explore the temple tomorrow"

Hannah slid off of her own camel and moved as far away from it as possible, she was sick of its foul smell and waited impatiently for Ardeth to put up their tent for the night before slipping into it and rolling out her bedding. Deciding to sulk in bed, rather than join in on the conversations that the other two were having.

Quickly she took some of the food from Ardeth's bag and drank half of her canteen of water before lying down and facing the side of the small tent. It wasn't long after before she fell asleep, exhausted from the long day.

* * *

"Hannah" Jonathan shook her shoulder as Ardeth began tidying their camp so that they could go into the temple.

The girl moaned and opened her eyes, looking angrily over at Jonathan. "Five more minutes" She muttered, rolling away from him.

"Fine, stay in the tent" Jonathan shrugged, standing up and leaving.

"WAIT! Give me a few minutes to get ready" Hannah relented.

Jonathan chuckled as he emerged from the tent.

"_She is definitely an interesting girl_" Ardeth commented in Arabic, knowing that Hannah would be listening in on the conversation.

Jonathan snorted. "_Too much like her mother if you ask me_"

Ardeth smirked. "_I remember Evelyn being more...diplomatic_"

"_Diplomatic my arse_" Jonathan scoffed. "_Evy's as stubborn as a mule when she wants to be. But at least she knows when to quit. Hannah doesn't_"

Ardeth nodded. "_You learn from experience. Hannah hasn't yet learnt that_"

"_Believe me. I know. Evy and Rick were so busy trying to protect her that they didn't see what she was turning into_" Jonathan said. "_Hopefully this will change her into a bearable person_"

"_Hopefully_" Ardeth agreed, looking over at the Temple of Armac.

* * *

"Let's go Hannah" Jonathan called as he and Ardeth made their way towards the tomb.

Hannah ran quickly to catch up with them and stood silently behind the two men, quickly catching onto the tension that hung in the air.

"Is there something wrong?" She asked.

The two men shook their heads as they moved towards the temple doors, which now lay open.

Hannah ran a hand over the stone doors, there seemed to be bullet holes throughout it, the small pieces of lead were engraved in the stone.

"It looks like someone shot the door" Hannah pointed out.

Ardeth and Jonathan glanced wearily at the doors but didn't reply.

Hannah quickly followed them as they stepped down the stone stairs and into a large chamber. The girl quickly looked around the room, in the far corner there was a small brown piece of material.

Hannah picked it up curiously and examined it, it was a child's jacket, maybe for a five year old boy. It was an older style, one that hadn't been around since the 1930's which gave Hannah a time that the jacket had been left there.

One thing that intrigued Hannah further was the large blood stain on the jacket, it covered the left shoulder and chest, a large tear in the material around there the child's heart must have been.

"Uncle Jonathan!" Hannah called. "Look what I found!"

Jonathan looked over at Hannah and paled, she was clutching Alex's old jacket in her hand and the material was covered in blood. The man swallowed. "Leave it where it is" He said tightly. "We can see it when we come back"

Hannah shrugged and dropped the jacket on the ground, following Ardeth and Jonathan as they walked carefully through a small corridor that led away from the main chamber.

Soon enough they arrived at another room, there was a large golden coffin in the centre of the chamber and Egyptian hieroglyphics covering the walls around it.

Hannah looked around sceptically. "This is it?" She asked, taking in the Egyptian writing and large tomb in the centre.

Ardeth gave her an irritated look. "Please be quiet" He said smoothly as the Mejai looked carefully over the writing that covered the walls.

"What does it say?" Jonathan asked, leaning over Ardeth's shoulder.

"It says something about a Sacred Dagger" Ardeth frowned. "These writings seem incomplete, but I can see that there is a dagger that is in the centre of the temple. It is the only way to kill Armac and break the curse" Ardeth scowled.

"What curse?" Jonathan asked.

"It says that a sacrifice is used to keep Armac alive, that if he is injured or killed, so will the sacrifice. He takes his strength from it"

"So the only way to really kill Armac is with this dagger?" Hannah asked.

Ardeth nodded. "That is what it says, or you can kill the sacrifice, then Armac will have no where to get his strength from"

Hannah looked around the room, there were three doorways in the chamber, the one they had come in through, one beside the Egyptian markings that Ardeth said was the way to the dagger, and a small door that looked built for a child only about a metre off of the ground and half a metre wide.

"Hannah, you need to stay in here" Jonathan said carefully, unsure of the girls reaction.

"Ok" Hannah replied, glancing over at the door, which was covered in cobwebs and other bugs, which she didn't exactly want to walk through.

Jonathan looked faintly surprised but didn't argue as he and Ardeth walked through the larger doorway.

* * *

I'll see you guys in a week or two.

Merry Christmas.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks for the reviews guys! It's been a week like I said! You can thank "****Bedazzled101" for their AMAZING review that made me SOOO HAPPY! Reviews like that make Authors feel good about their writing, so they do it more often, so you get an update sooner! :) **

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Hannah waited a few seconds before the two men were gone before moving over towards the small doorway and looking through.

It lead into another chamber, this one had a small golden tomb in the centre, about the size of the doorway. There were torches burning around the room, allowing her to see into it easily.

Hannah squeezed herself through the small doorway and walked over to the tomb, wondering what was in it.

She knew she shouldn't open it.

She knew it was probably another mummy.

But she opened it anyway.

To her surprise there wasn't an ancient mummy lying in the tomb but a small child!

He looked vaguely familiar but Hannah brushed it off, the boy had short blond hair and round cheeks, his nose dotted with freckles. He looked around five years old or so.

The boy was wearing dark grey trousers and a white button up shirt that was covered in blood over his left shoulder and chest. It looked as though he had been stabbed.

What surprised Hannah most was that he was sleeping! The boy wasn't dead!

Unsure of what to do, Hannah decided to take the boy back into the larger chamber to show Ardeth and Jonathan when they returned, it was obvious that neither of the grown men would fit through the small doorway easily.

She slipped her arms underneath the boy's legs and his back, carefully lifting the boy out of the tomb and holding him bridal style against her chest.

The kid stirred slightly, his eyes fluttering under their lids as he groggily opened his eyes.

"Who're you?" He mumbled tiredly.

"I'm Hannah" The girl replied. "Who are you?"

"Alex"

Something clicked in the back of Hannah's mind. "What's your last name?" She questioned.

Alex frowned at her, looking around and suddenly realizing he was being carried. He squirmed out of Hannah's grasp and forced her to release him.

"Why do you want to know?" Alex asked, yawning. "Who are you anyways?"

"I told you. I'm Hannah" The girl said, frowning. "What are you doing in here?"

Alex looked around him and scowled. "Am I in the Temple?" He asked.

"Of course you're in the Temple" Hannah said, slightly confused. "Why wouldn't you be?"

"I'm not supposed to be in here" Alex replied slowly, he looked over at Hannah. "Why are you in here?"

"I'm here with my uncle and a friend" Hannah replied, squeezing back out of the small chamber and into the original one.

Alex looked around. "Why?"

"We're looking for something" Hannah said vaguely.

Alex rubbed his eyes tiredly with his fist.

"Do you want to tell me why you were in that tomb?" Hannah asked him.

Alex blinked tiredly. "What?" He asked.

"Why were you in that tomb?" Hannah repeated.

Alex frowned. "I wasn't in the tomb" He yawned.

Hannah scowled at the boy. "That's where I found you" She pointed through the tiny doorway and towards the tiny tomb. "In there"

Alex frowned and wandered over towards the tomb again, looking over it quickly before coming back to Hannah.

"What's the sacrifice?" Alex asked.

Something in Hannah's mind clicked and she gasped. The sacrifice, what Ardeth had said, was used to bring this Armac guy back to life and takes his strength from them.

"Do you feel strange?" Hannah asked.

Alex gave her a weird look but shrugged. "I'm just tired" He said.

Hannah looked at the blood stain covering Alex's chest. "What about that?" She asked, pointing to it.

Alex frowned lightly, tugging his collar down to expose where the wound was. It was merely a small scar now, but it looked as though the boy had been stabbed directly through the heart.

"I'm not sure" Alex muttered.

Hannah frowned and sat down in the sand to wait for Ardeth and Jonathan. "Why don't you tell me about yourself Alex? We could be here for a while waiting for my friends"

Alex shook his head and leant sleepily against the wall as he slid down to the ground. "Lady, I have no idea who you are, I'm not going to tell you my life story"

Hannah scowled. "Well too bad, because it wasn't an option"

"What are you going to do about it?" Alex mumbled sleepily, his eyes fluttering closed.

Hannah pursed her lips into a tight line but didn't reply, it was only a few seconds before Alex had fallen asleep by her side.

* * *

"HANNAH!" Jonathan's voice echoed through the chamber. "We couldn't find it! Ardeth thinks that its hidden in the centre of the temple!"

Hannah looked up from her spot on the floor and over to the doorway where Jonathan and Ardeth appeared.

"Didn't you find it?" Hannah asked sadly.

Jonathan shook his head. "Not yet. We're going to go further into the temple"

"Well I found something Uncle Jonathan" Hannah replied smugly.

Jonathan frowned. "What?"

Hannah gently moved her arm away, revealing Alex, who was curled up into a ball at her side.

Ardeth and Jonathan froze, their eyes were wide and confused for a few moments before they understood what was happening.

"ALEX!" Jonathan cried as he scooped his nephew up in his arms, the boy looked exactly as he had last been seen, still six years old, but sleeping peacefully.

The sudden movement around him brought Alex out of his slumber and he looked groggily up at his uncle, who was clutching him tightly to his chest.

"Uncle John" Alex murmured sleepily, leaning his head against his uncle's chest.

Jonathan cried with delight, even Ardeth was showing his happiness as he moved towards the sleepy child. "Alex, are you alright?" Ardeth asked cautiously. "Do you remember what happened?"

Alex turned to Ardeth, giving him and weak smile. "I'm just tired Ardeth" He murmured, yawning and subconsciously snuggling deeper into his Uncle's chest. "You got old" Alex muttered.

"Alex, this is important" Ardeth pressed. "What do you remember last?"

Alex shrugged, opening his eyes wider, realising he wouldn't get time to sleep soon. "I don't know" He said. "I was with Mum and Dad" Suddenly his eyes widened and he looked around. "Where's my Mum and Dad?" He thought maybe they had been in the temple and brought him in, but now that Ardeth and Jonathan were here he knew something was wrong.

He noticed Ardeth frowning and his eyes grew wide and shining with confused tears. "What's going on?" He asked in a quiet voice, squirming out of Jonathan's grip. His uncle placed him reluctantly on the ground as he walked towards Ardeth.

Alex glanced at Hannah suspiciously. "You said one of them was your uncle?" He asked.

Hannah nodded, she realised what was happening, this was Alexander. "My name is Hannah O'Connell" The girl replied. "What's yours?"

"Alexander O'Connell?" The young boy's eyes were wide. "I didn't know I had a cousin?" He looked expectantly at Jonathan who grimaced.

"She's not your cousin Alex" Ardeth said gently.

"My parents are Richard and Evelyn O'Connell" Hannah said bluntly, frowning slightly at the boy, whose eyes grew wide.

"But I don't have a big sister!" Alex said slowly, his eyes flickering back to Hannah for a second.

"You don't Alex" Ardeth explained. "Alex, you've been missing for twenty one years, Hannah was born five years after you were presumed dead. Its 1952 now Alex"

Alex's eyes widened in confusion. "How is that possible?" He stammered. "I-I was with Mummy and Daddy last time. I-I was building a sandcastle" He shook his head. "That can't be true"

"Alex calm down" Jonathan said gently, kneeling down in front of the distressed child and lifting him up. "We're going to get you out to see your Mum and Dad, alright? And everything will make sense"

Alex nodded mutely, holding tightly to Jonathan's shirt as he stood carefully. "Why didn't they come and get me?" He looked over at Hannah. "If I've been gone for years, why didn't they look for me?"

Even Hannah felt bad for the boy, she now knew why her parents had been so sad all of her life. They had lost their first child when he was only six years old.

Alex's bottom lip trembled as he buried his head in Jonathan's shirt. "Didn't they want me anymore? Did I do something wrong?"

"No, no, no, no!" Jonathan exclaimed quickly. "Alex, they thought you were dead, the temple locked you inside and you stopped screaming" Jonathan hugged the crying child close to him. "Alex, they never forgot about you, they would have done anything to get you back, but they really thought you were dead"

Alex glanced at Hannah through tear filled eyes. "How old are you?" He asked.

"Sixteen" Hannah said.

"How old am I?"

"You would be twenty seven this March" Jonathan said, smiling.

"Does that mean I get to drive your car?" Alex smiled weakly up at his uncle, who grinned at him.

"We'll see"

Alex yawned again, his eyes drooping heavily.

"Alex" Ardeth said cautiously. "Do you know why you're tired?" He asked.

Alex shook his head before falling asleep again in Jonathan's arms.

Ardeth looked over towards the Egyptian writing on the walls and frowned, moving over towards them, Hannah glanced worriedly at the sleeping child in her uncle's arms.

_Her big brother_. She reminded herself mentally as she watched Alex's peaceful face thoughtfully.

How could this six year old be her older brother? It was impossible.

She thought back to when she had entered Alex's room back at their house.

How could _he _be her brother? From what she could tell about him he was a book worm, mostly enjoying Egyptian history. He didn't have many toys apart from the building blocks which had been arranged into a pyramid in the corner of the room, and small Egyptian sculptures that were placed around on desks and book shelves.

She thought back to how her room had looked, a soccer ball was resting on the floor and clothes were spread out over the floor, there were some school books in her room that were shoved under her bed to make way for jewellery and more clothes. Her desk was unrecognisable, covered by pictures of friends and dirty dishes.

Ardeth cursed in a foreign language and turned to Alex, catching Jonathan's eye solemnly.

"What?" Jonathan asked, holding Alex's body protectively to his chest. "What is it?"

"We need to get Alex out of here" Ardeth said solemnly, holding out his arms to take the boy from his uncle.

Jonathan reluctantly passed over Alex to him and frowned. "Why?" He asked.

Ardeth turned held Alex easily in his arms, passing him to his sister. "Hannah I need you to take Alex out of the temple and get him to the village. Try to keep him awake, it will be faster if you do not need to carry him" He looked back at Jonathan. "We need to find the Sacred Dagger" Ardeth explained. "It is the only thing that will kill Armac but not harm Alex"

Awkwardly Hannah held the sleeping child in her arms, unsure of how to react to holding him. Jonathan frowned. "Harm Alex?" He asked.

"Alex was used as a sacrifice to bring Armac back to life; it is how the mummy stays alive. If Alex dies, Armac dies. But if Armac is hurt or killed, so will Alex" Ardeth explained. "The only way to break the curse from Alex is to drive the dagger through Armac's heart"

"What happens if we don't?" Jonathan asked slowly.

Ardeth grimaced. "If we do not defeat Armac soon, he will drain Alex of all of his strength and he will die. Now that he is awake. And Armac will become invincible if he buys his eternal life, which is why he has taken Richard and Evelyn"

Jonathan closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and looked over at Alex. "Hannah, you have to take Alex and get him away from here"

Hannah frowned slightly. "If this mummy is going to take over the world and kill millions of people, why don't you just kill Alex?" It didn't sound so bad in her mind, Alex's life or millions of lives. But when she said it out loud even she was disgusted in herself.

Jonathan's eyes flashed angrily at her. "That is NOT an option!" He growled protectively. "He's your BROTHER!" Jonathan glared angrily at her, snatching Alex from her arms and waking the boy from his light slumber.

"What's going on?" Alex mumbled groggily, as he noticed the glare that Jonathan was sending Hannah.

"Alright!" Hannah said, holding up her arms in defeat. "It was just a suggestion. It would solve all of our problems!"

Alex frowned sleepily. "What problems? Is there something wrong?"

"No" Jonathan said instantly.

Ardeth moved forward and held out his arms for Alex, who complied and reached out to be taken from his uncle's arms. "Alex, Hannah is going to take you out of the temple and to the village. Just wait there for me and your uncle, we'll be there soon and then we can go and find your mum and dad"

Alex nodded, glancing warily at Hannah. "Why can't I go with you?" He asked.

"It's too dangerous Alex" Ardeth said calmly, placing him on the ground and pushing him gently towards Hannah. "Hannah will take care of you; she'll make sure you get out of here safe"

"Hannah's a girl" Alex said quietly. "If Hannah is looking after me, who is looking after Hannah?"

"Hannah can look after herself" Said girl exclaimed irritably, she grabbed onto Alex's hand and began to pull him towards the door. "Come on Alex" She told him. "We'll see Ardeth and Uncle John when they get back"

Alex nodded mutely, rubbing his tired eyes with his spare hand and yawning sleepily as Hannah dragged him through the narrow corridors that he didn't recognise.

They reached a fork in the road and Alex glanced worriedly at his 'sister', he didn't like her very much. She was scary. "Do you know where we're going?" He asked shyly.

"Yes" Hannah snapped, turning quickly on her heel and taking him down one of the halls, her steps were fast and long, making Alex run to keep up with her.

"Hannah" Alex panted, he held onto her hand with both arms to keep himself upright. "Hannah, please slow down" He asked tiredly.

Hannah rolled her eyes. "We need to get out of here" She said sternly. "We can't slow down"

Alex gasped in pain. "Please" Alex pleaded; he clamped his hand to his side, his face twisted in pain. "I feel strange"

Hannah was about to reply when she felt Alex's weight drag down on her hand. Quickly she grabbed his arm as he passed out, swearing like a sailor and wondering what to do next.

"Alex" Hannah said, holding him upright by his shoulders. "Alex wake up" She shook his shoulders gently, but all that happened was that his head lolled to the side.

Finally she scooped the six year old up in her arms and continued walking, realizing that he wouldn't wake up any time soon.

She noticed his hand holding the side of his stomach and gently lifted his hand to reveal a large bruise forming, as though someone had kicked him.

Hannah frowned lightly, thinking back to what Ardeth had said in the temple.

"_If Armac is hurt or killed, so will Alex_"

* * *

Evy looked over at her husband who was slowly but surely managing to get his wrists free from where they were still tied behind their backs by rope.

Hannah had gone over a week ago and Evy was sure she'd found Ardeth already and they were on their way to find a way to stop Armac.

Now all Evy and Rick had to do was get free. Which was easier said than done.

"Yes" Rick murmured triumphantly from beside her, quickly he released his hands and moved to Evy's. "Let's go find our daughter" Rick grinned.

The two adults jumped to their feet and moved towards the door or their prison, only to find it opened the second they reached it.

"Thought you would escape?" Armac said calmly, he was obviously not fazed by the two adventurers because he simply blocked the doorway, not making a move.

"I know we will" Rick stated as he suddenly leaped forward, slamming his foot directly into Armac's stomach, sending him reeling backwards.

Armac seemed deterred for only a second before he stood up straight, smiling at the O'Connell's.

Rick didn't wait as he lashed out again, attacking fiercely with kicks and punches, which Armac blocked and sent a few of his own.

Finally Armac knocked Rick to the ground with a kick to the head and grabbed the rope that was lying on the floor.

"Can't have you running around here, now can we?" Armac hissed in Rick's ear as he tied the man's hands behind his back again.

Evy growled from behind the un-dead man and sent a kick at him, but Armac turned, blocking her attacks and punches before knocking her out.

* * *

Hannah looked down at Alex, who stirred slightly; she had been walking for ten minutes at the most and was getting annoyed at having to carry the boy. "Alex" She said gently. "Alex, can you wake up for me?"

Alex mumbled something in a foreign language that Hannah didn't recognize. "Alex, are you alright?"

The small boy opened his eyes slightly, a frown marring his cute features as he tried to remember where he was. "Hannah?" He asked.

His sister nodded. "Yeah. Do you want to tell me what just happened?" Nodding her towards his bruised ribs.

Alex frowned and his eyes travelled down to where a boot shaped bruise was forming on his skinny abdomen. "I don't remember" He muttered, his large eyes looking up to Hannah for answers.

"What happened?" He asked.

Hannah frowned. "I'm not sure" She told him.

Alex frowned and suddenly realized that he was being carried, he squirmed out of Hannah's arms and dropped to the floor.

Hannah scowled at him but allowed her brother to do as he pleased, they continued down the corridor for a few more minutes before Alex stopped.

"Hannah?" He asked, carefully, obviously not wishing to spark her fiery temper.

"Mm?" Hannah muttered, lost in her thoughts.

"We're going the wrong way" Alex told her.

Hannah froze and looked irritably down at the six year old standing below her. "How do you know that?" Hannah asked.

Alex pointed to some Egyptian Hieroglyphics that were carved into the wall.

"What about them?" Hannah asked, sceptically. "They're written in Egyptian, how's that going to help us?"

Alex gave her an exasperated look. "Lady, I've been learning to read Egyptian since I could walk. This isn't hard to figure out" He snapped tiredly, his exhaustion making him irritable.

Hannah looked taken aback. "You read Egyptian?" She asked.

Alex sighed and turned back to the Hieroglyphics. "They say this is where the Sacred Dagger lies, in the middle of the temple, nowhere near the exit. We've been walking further into the temple, not out of it" He stated, closing his eyes for a second as he leaned on the wall.

Hannah scowled at the boy and walked over towards him "What are you talking about?" She growled, kneeling down beside him and looking over the pictures that Alex was point to.

Alex yawned and pointed to some of the pictures. "It's the dagger's chamber" He murmured. "We have to get through some challenges or something" He added, his small hands tracing the carvings in the wall.

"Can't you give me something more specific?" She snapped. "I need to know what we're going into"

"I don't know!" Alex said sharply, rubbing his eyes with his hands to try and stay awake. "I can't remember the symbols"

"Well, try harder" Hannah exclaimed, her patience finally at its end. "You're not the only one who wants to get out of here to see their parents you know! I'm dirty, hungry, thirsty and tired and I am not in the mood for you to have a little memory loss that could get us both killed! I have had the worst week of my life and I am NOT going to end it by getting killed by a booby trap or something! Don't be such a wimp, just read the God-damn pictures!" She growled angrily at Alex, who stared at her through watery blue eyes...wait...watery.

Alex was crying.

Hannah instantly regretted yelling at the boy and knelt down in front of him. "No, Alex, please don't cry. I didn't mean it"

She looked carefully at Alex, remembering he was still six years old and exhausted, not to mention having an un-dead mummy feeding off of his strength to stay alive. It was a wonder the boy was awake, let alone coherent enough to be translating Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphics.

But the boy's bottom lip continued to tremble slightly as Hannah repeatedly apologized.

"Please, Alex. Please don't cry. I'm sorry I said that. I'm really sorry and I didn't mean it" Unsure of what to do she placed a hand on Alex's shoulder and pulled him into a hug.

It was obviously what the boy needed because he latched his arms securely around her neck and sobbed into her shoulder. "Alex I didn't mean it" She murmured by his ear.

Alex sniffed and shook his head. "I want my Mommy and Daddy" He cried. "I want to see they're ok and that they still want me"

Hannah pulled Alex onto her lap and sat down against the wall, gently rocking him back and forth. "Alex, Mum and Dad have been sad ever since they thought you died. Throughout my whole life they weren't the same as everybody else remembered them. Your room is still the same as it was when you left. I only went in there once when I was ten and I've never gone in since. Alex they never forgot or stopped loving you, every day they thought about you and wished you were there with them. You have to know that"

Alex closed his eyes tiredly, letting his head rest on Hannah's chest. "Alex, I really need you to think about those paintings. We need to get out of here but we need to know what they say. We'll get back to Mum and Dad faster if you we get the dagger" Hannah said gently, not wanting to send the boy into hysterics again.

Alex clutched her shirt tightly in his hands, refusing to let go as he buried his head deeper into her shoulder. "I wanna go home" He whimpered.

Hannah sighed and nodded, rubbing his back soothingly. "I know, kid. But to do that you have to read the writings"

Alex shook his head. "I can't remember them" He whispered, looking up at her. "Mommy showed them to me a few times, but... but I can't remember what they mean. I couldn't look in the book again because Mommy put it on a high shelf in her room. I wasn't allowed to go in there"

Hannah grimaced. "Alex, how did you learn Egyptian? Did mum teach you?"

Alex shook his head, smiling slightly. "I learnt from my books and the museum. Daddy used to take me there all of the time to study the Medjai. I wasn't allowed to stay home by myself, so I visited Mummy in the Egyptian display at the museum. At home there were heaps of books as well, so I read those"

"You taught yourself how to read Egyptian?" Hannah said doubtfully.

Alex shrugged. "Mommy helped me learn how to speak it after I learnt some of the letters"

Hannah nodded, realising this was a safe subject to talk about that seemed to stop Alex when he cried. "Should we have another go at looking at those pictures?" Hannah said softly.

Alex rubbed his eyes with his fists and nodded slightly, Hannah suddenly realized how cute he looked, his eyes drooping sleepily.

"Come on" Hannah said gently, pulling him back over to the wall for another attempt.

* * *

**I brought Alex back for you guys! And I LOVE HIM! He's so cute and adorable and cute and adorable!**

**Did you like it? Please tell me! I really want to know! Although flames are NOT excepted, because even one little flame will RUIN my day. And if you ruin my day, I don't write because I feel bad, so then it takes longer for you to get an update. **

**IMPORTANT! Alright, so I'm going away to my friend's batch for a few weeks in a couple of days, there is no internet and I'm not allowed to bring my computer, so obviously you guys can't really get an update. I will continue as soon as I get back, alright? I'll update all of my stories, including the two that haven't been updated sine September! So anyone that reads my AR fanfics I WILL UPDATE WITH ANOTHER CHAPTER! :) **

**Have a great holiday! Wherever you are! Whether it's summer, (Like in New Zealand AKA: BEST COUNTRY EVA!) or winter, like in Europe, (HI ALEC and LACEY! AKA: My cousins!), or anything in between, (All the countries between here and England) :)**


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